Avoiding holiday weight gain

The holiday appetizer season has already begun and many of you have already attended at least one party and are due to attend at least a handful more. Without a doubt, this is the time of year that really challenges healthy habits and the best of intentions.

So the question is: How do you minimise holiday weight gain when every appetizer tray that passes is anything but good for your waistline?

Studies show that people on average gain about one pound over the holidays. Interestingly, people who are already overweight going into the holiday season will gain about five pounds.

The problem with those five pounds is that if you don’t get rid of them come January they can accumulate, becoming a bigger problem for your health and waistline down the road.

The best advice I can provide people with this time of year is to simply maintain your weight over the holiday season. Now is not the right time to be losing weight. If anything, direct your efforts to incorporating more exercise to help balance out the extra appetizer and cocktail calories.

So, how do you deal with all those parties and still fit into your jeans by January? Know which holiday appetizers to splurge on and which ones you will need to limit to one or two.